


His Third Attempt

by Meiri



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Post Hogwarts AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 17:54:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9669689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meiri/pseuds/Meiri
Summary: After disaster and embarrassment, can Hermione find it in herself to hear him out?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [SecretAdmirerFicExchange](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/SecretAdmirerFicExchange) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> “If this is another one of your insane attempts to win my heart, don’t bother.”
> 
> “You know, sometimes I do things because they’re apart of my personality.”
> 
>  
> 
> _Disclaimer: As always, no copyright infringement is intended in the use of either the setting or characters._
> 
> _Also, many thanks to my beta, K, for her quick and collaborative work._

_12 February 2004_

Hermione fidgeted with the closure on her wallet as she gazed passed the people ahead of her in the lunch line to the menu. Normally she only took her lunch break at the Ministry cafeteria when she was meeting Harry and Ron, or sometimes Luna. Which actually had been the plan for today, but the boys had to go off on an investigation, and Luna’s dad surprised her by stopping by the office just before lunch with an invitation elsewhere. 

Taking her lunch break alone wasn't a terrible prospect though. She had a book she could read or the acrostic from the Daily Prophet that she could work on. Or…

"Knut for your thoughts," a man whispered in her ear.

She looked over her shoulder. "Malfoy. To what do I owe this… pleasure?"

"Draco," he corrected her. "I was hoping you would join me for lunch."

Hermione eyed him warily before turning away from him. "What on earth for?"

"I would much rather have this discussion elsewhere," he confessed. "I have already arranged everything, if you could just come with me."

The last time she went somewhere alone with him hadn't been all bad, even though she'd had an awful allergic reaction to the chrysanthemum bouquet he'd tried to give her. And at least this time he hadn't already broken out in song. Hearing Malfoy sing _You've Charmed the Heart Right Out of Me_ outside of Flourish  & Blotts had been equally amusing and mortifying.

"I even made brownies for afters." He smiled and offered his arm to her.

"Fine," she said, looping her arm through his and stepping out of the lunch line. "But if this is another one of your insane attempts to win my heart, don't bother."

He hesitated only a moment before leading her from the cafeteria and toward the lifts. They were silent as they made their way back toward her office on Level Four. They bypassed the break room and rounded the corner by her office. The door was closed, but a twinkling glow from inside warmed the frosted glass.

"Strange. I could have sworn I turned the light off when I left," she said.

Malfoy shrugged. "Do you want to open the door, or shall I?"

"Let me." She drew her wand from the holster on her forearm. Some of her coworkers were fond of pranks, so it was better to be prepared.

As she opened the door, the source of the light became apparent. Fairies were flitting about the room. Stepping in the room, she noticed that her desk and Luna’s were pushed against the walls by their filing cabinets, and there was a blanket laid out in the centre of the floor with a plate of sandwiches, a tray of vegetables, and a pan of brownies.

"I thought I said this better not be an attempt to win my heart, _Malfoy_."

He stepped through the door and around her to stand on the blanket. "It's a good thing then that it isn't."

"What is all this then?" She gestured around the room. "Is that champagne?"

"No. That is sparkling cider. Non-alcoholic, I assure you. It's a work day, honestly." He lifted the bottle from the ice bucket and passed it to her so she could read the label.

"As for the rest, consider this my apology for the other day outside of Flourish & Blotts, and for the flower incident last month."

Hermione gazed around the room before looking him in the eye. "A simple, 'I'm sorry,' would have sufficed."

"It really wouldn't have," he said before sitting down. "I tried that, remember? The first time you were looped up on antihistamines and laughed at me before crying about how puffy your eyes had gotten. Then the second time, I couldn't get a word in edgewise before you ran away."

Hermione closed the door and toed off her pumps before sitting across from him. "I didn’t exactly make it easy, did I? But you've been acting strange ever since New Year’s. I thought you were having a bit of a laugh at my expense."

She watched as his shoulders dropped.

"Granger--er Hermione, do you remember the day the Werewolf Healthcare Act passed into law just a few days after we came back from Christmas break?"

"How could I forget? That was one of the best days of my life. I was amazed that something I created was going to be a reality." 

He looked up at her, a smile tugging at his lips. "When I found you in the corridor after the vote, you looked so alive. There were stars in your eyes."

Hermione didn't know where to look, what to do. Of all the things he could have said, she never expected this.

"I made a promise to myself that day," he continued. "I wanted to see you smile like that again, wanted to be able to make you smile that way."

Hermione giggled. "And I ruined that with my chrysanthemum allergy."

"To be fair, I did a pretty good job ruining it with that little stunt in Diagon Alley."

"What was that about? You never struck me as the type to publicly serenade a girl."

Malfoy shook his head. "This will sound ridiculous, but I let George Weasley talk me into trying a free sample of a joke breath mint." He reached across the blanket and took her hand. "I know you were embarrassed and so as I. After you ran off, I went back to his shop to find out what the prank was."

"It was a Lyrimint, wasn't it?"

Draco dropped her hand in surprise. "How did you know? He said they were still in the testing phase."

"I helped him develop the charm," Hermione explained. "He wanted something new for Valentine's Day. You're only supposed to sing to someone you're interested in romantically."

Draco nodded. "So, now you know," he said reaching for the brownie pan and removing one. He passed it to her before taking one for himself.

"Afters before the meal?"

"You know, Hermione, sometimes I do things because they are part of my personality." He winked before taking a bite. After he swallowed the treat, he confessed, "Having dessert first is a favourite quirk of mine."

Hermione laughed before taking a bit of her own brownie.

"Have dinner with me on Saturday?"

Hermione considered everything he told her. After a moment, she decided to finally put him out of his misery and give him a chance.

"On one condition."

"What's that?"

"Bring more of these fantastic brownies. They are amazing!" She laughed at his look of surprise.

"I'm sure that can be arranged," he said as he leaned closer and kissed her cheek.

  
_The end._


End file.
